


No Cop is a Good Cop

by PrincessFreak



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Asexual Characters, Asexual Relationship, Bicurious Asexual Nick Wilde, Coming Out, Don't Like Don't Read, F/M, Love Confessions, Minor Injuries, Panromantic Asexual Judy Hopps, Personal Growth, Quitting the Police Force, Self-Discovery, Speciesism, blm parallels, in case that wasn't obvious, mentions of police brutality
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:53:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24793411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessFreak/pseuds/PrincessFreak
Summary: Nick and Judy decide to quit the police force after seeing repeated bigotry and corruption within the Zootopia Police Department. It's not an easy situation to go through, and both of them have to reevaluate the decisions they've made so far and the ultimate goals they have for their lives. All this while going through a romantic and sexuality crisis.((TW for the comments on this fic: Racism, anti-blm commentary, ignorance, general bigotry, and flat out violent racism including, and very much not limited to, the use of the n word and kkk romanticism))
Relationships: Judy Hopps/Nick Wilde
Comments: 148
Kudos: 30





	No Cop is a Good Cop

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I'm a bit late for pride month.
> 
> I imagine Zootopia could very easily go through a similar situation as the current BLM protests, but I imagine it to deal with different species (specifically predators) instead of a specific race. So the metaphor doesn't exactly line up. Also, I just didn't want Nick and Judy to be cops anymore. I don't think any police force represents what they want in life.
> 
> Also, I added the asexual stuff cause when I first began this fic many months ago and Asexuality was originally going to be the topic. I thought, what better time to write an asexual fic than during Pride Month! And it seemed to coincide well with police brutality with the idea of them going through a personal journey.  
> Also, I'm not asexual myself, so my description of their feelings may not be the most accurate or it may sound a bit robotic.

Nick and Judy sat in their car at their normal patrol spot. No calls, no problems, no crimes. Normally, this would be a typical day, but as of late the entire force has been very busy monitoring the rising amount of small protests throughout the city, many of which have been over the excessive force the police have been using against predators. Nick and Judy are “fortunate” enough to have not been called to handle any of those protests, Chief Bogo has reasoned that their talents are more suited for other calls, claiming that protesters aren’t likely to listen to a rabbit and a fox anyway. While they acknowledge that’s likely true, both Judy and Nick have privately suspected that Chief Bogo doesn’t want them getting any ideas while at the protests. Not that it takes a protest to see the issues in the ZPD.

But at the moment, it’s not something they have to think about. For now, they sit in the car, waiting for speeders to come by, listening to background pop music on the radio. Nick lays back on his tilted chair, tapping his foot on top of the dashboard, sunglasses resting on his forehead. He always wears those sunglasses, even at night. He says they’re the best perk of the job. As if he couldn’t just wear a pair of sunglasses any time he wants. Judy sits in the driver seat, back straight and paws on the wheel, people watching while humming along to the tune, at least making the appearance that she’s busy working.

“Not to be speciesist,” Nick disrupts, Judy rolls her eyes knowing a round of playful jest is about to come. “But is it really true that bunnies are like crazy good breeders?”

“Well,” Judy starts, a little surprised and blushing a bit at the uncomfortable topic but not hesitating to respond. “I mean, obviously not all of them…” her eyebrows together just a bit. “At least I don’t think?” Then she makes eye contact again, mood brightening. “But definitely all the ones I’ve met! I mean, have I ever told you how many siblings I have?”

“Oh, do tell,” Nick eggs on with his oh-so-charming voice.

“275,” Judy says, crossing her arms with a smirk. Nick blinks back, his eyes wide, his own smirk gone.

“...Huh?” He asks, with a tilt of his brow.

“I have 275 siblings.”

“275?!” Nick exclaims far too loud for such a small space, jaw a bit agape.

“275.” Judy reaffirms. “My high school graduating class was smaller than my household.” She chuckles. “It’s still quite a lot for bunnies, but… not impossible, I guess.”

“How do your parents have enough money to take care of all of them?!”

“Oh lots and lots of farming. We own a very large amount of land. And, with so many children, my parents have a LOT of helping hands. And demand is very high. There are a lot of bunnies in the world. Our family alone eats like a quarter of our product.”

But Nick seems almost deaf to this information. “Damn. That many births,” he sits back, hand on his hand. “That must have been so hard on your poor mom.”

Judy chuckles. “I mean, not really. Bunnies are pretty much built for multiplying.”

“Well, if bunnies are built for that--” Nick reconsiders and tries to internally rephrase his words. “Well, what I mean is-- How come you’re not, well…” He’s not too terribly successful. “How come you’re not super sexually driven all the time?” It comes out weirder than he imagined, and he tries to save face a bit, rubbing the back of his neck. He’s not used to messing up his words so bad. “Sorry, is that rude of me to ask?” Now he’s blushing a bit, a site not too common with Nick. Even when it comes to sexual conversations, Nick doesn’t normally get this embarrassed. He decides it must be because it’s such a personal question.

Judy raises an eyebrow and smiles. “It’s adorable how flustered you are over this.” She takes a moment to pause and thinks over her response. She tries coming up with a response that won’t weird him out. “Um, well, to be honest I never really felt the need? I just don’t have much of a sex drive.” When Nick looks at her with a confused head tilt, she tries to think of the best way to explain it in more casual terms. “I’m umm… rarely horny… in all honesty…” She blushes, and looks to the side to avoid eye contact.

Something clicks inside Nick’s head. “Is that why you aren’t into dating?”

A bit of an unexpected question, but she tries to roll with it. “Well… kind of.” She takes a moment to think because she’s never tried to explain this out loud to anyone. “I mean, I wouldn’t mind being in a relationship with someone, and, you know, hold hands and kiss and buy matching sweaters or something…” Her face drops into a bit of a frown. “But I feel like it’d be unfair for them, y’know? I don’t want to have sex, so it’d be a bit one sided...”

“That makes sense…” He sweats, not expecting himself to speak out loud about this at any point in his life. “I-- I have something a bit similar when it comes to relationships.” Judy looks at Nick with wide shocked eyes. She never expected Nick of all people to experience something similar.

“Really? Is that why I’ve never seen you with a girl? I’ve always wondered why…” This causes Nick to blush and chuckle. He’s well aware what his demeanor can come off as.

“Yeah, well, I mean I’ve still got a strong sex drive. I just don’t ever feel attracted to someone else, you know? I’m much more satisfied with my hand than inside someone.” Nick shrugs, enjoying the use a simple joke has at relieving tension in a conversation. He smirks when he sees Judy’s face all scrunched up.

“Gross!” Judy exclaims prude-like, which makes Nick laugh.

“I feel the same way as you do though,” he continues. “I’d like to try dating, see what it’s all about. But I don’t want to leave anyone hanging if I’m just not into it. Or, make her feel like she’s unattractive or something.” He sighs dramatically and smirks. “Looks like I’m just stuck with the single life.”

“Oh don’t be like that! I’m sure there’s someone out there who’d be perfectly satisfied without sex,” she says with her little smile, perky ears, and curled up paws.

“I--” He wants to reject that notion, having always felt there was something wrong with him for his lack of interest, but then he looks at Judy. He realizes that if he’s broken, then that would mean Judy’s broken, and that can’t possibly be true. Even if they are “weird,” then being weird in that way can’t really be a bad thing. They could be weird together. The idea makes him blush. “You know what, maybe you’re right Hopps… Maybe…” He realizes he’s sounding too breathy, too wistful, so he turns the topic. “But the same thing could apply to you.”

“Awe thanks!” Nick swears her cute little smile could cure cancer. She sighs though.”It’s just harder for people like us, since there’s not a lot of us out there. Or people who would accept what we are. Most people seem almost driven by sex. Like it’s one of their biggest life goals” she says in mocking awe. “I’ve just never understood it.”

“Right?!” Nick agrees through chuckling. “And some people build their entire identities around sex. I just don’t get it.” He leans back again, and places his feet on the dash again. “I’ve had sex before, but it wasn’t some magical thing. It kinda felt good for a bit, and then it was over and life moves on.”

“Wait, you’ve really had sex before?” She blushes, paranoid that she sounds a bit jealous. Not that she desires to have sex, but she’s a bit jealous that someone else was doing something that intimate with Nick. “I mean, I don’t know what I was expecting…” And down goes the ears. “I mean you're a handsome fox, surely you must have at least tried.”

“Awe she thinks I’m handsome!” He teases, accompanying it with a snicker. Judy’s ears pop back up as fast as they fall down.

“Oh shut it!” She blushes, shoving his side lightly, causing him to laugh even more as he tries to swat her hand away.

Their playful banter is interrupted though by a call on the intercom. An officer in Savanna Central is requesting back up on a raccoon resisting arrest. She sounds frantic. She didn’t even state her name.

“A raccoon, huh?...” Nick says sarcastically, raising an eyebrow at the intercom.

“Why would they need back up for a raccoon?” Judy asks, as if similar requests haven’t been made the entire week. “Isn’t officer Trunks on duty in that area?”

“You know how officer Trunks is…” Nick crosses his arms and sighs, slightly glaring now at the intercom, eyes dark and not quite focusing. “She may be an elephant, but she’s terrified of predators.”

“‘Terrified’ doesn’t warrant that sort of treatment.” Judy crosses her arms and scowls. “No cop should be so unjustly terrified of predators.”

“Well in the eyes of the chief they’re criminals…” He closes his eyes and rubs the bridge of his nose, not wanting to get too angry at the moment. “And apparently criminals deserve whatever treatment they may get.”

“After that nighthowlers incident, things have been so tense,” Judy sighs out. She’s been thinking about this for awhile. Tensions between predators and prey have been rapidly rising, despite the fact that the nighthowler incident was a clear cut set up, and Dawn Bellwether was prosecuted and arrested. “I thought prey would just shake it off and move on by now, but it’s like they still blame the predators for attacks. And now it’s leaking into the police force…”

Nick shakes his head, not surprised that Judy doesn’t understand just how ingrained in society speciesism is. “That’s exactly it though. The nighthowler stuff just revealed what was hidden in society for so long. That’s why predators are upset, at least.” He looks out the window, watching people walk by, predators and prey alike. He wonders why people go about their day as if nothing’s wrong, why there’s so much pressure to keep up appearances. “ We all knew the prejudice was there, but now we know just how bad it is, and everyone’s been forced to see it for once.” He breaths out and looks at Judy again. “The police force was built on the innate distrust of predators, and it doesn’t function without that distrust. That was the whole reason why the police force was formed…” He turns away, clenches his paws, and closes his eyes again. “To keep us predators under control. It’s no wonder officers are treating predators the way they are.”

Judy leans back, and watches the people Nick was watching moments before, not sure of what to say. Her ears are completely drooping, and she feels a tightness in her chest that’s been happening quite a lot recently. She didn’t have to say anything though, for Nick continues on.

“Before, I always knew this,” he states, staring up at the car ceiling, stained by whoever rode in it last. Chief Bogo would never trust them with a brand new vehicle. “But you gave me hope that maybe law enforcement has changed, or if it wasn’t already changed, then maybe it _could_ be changed… But…” he takes a deep breath. “It’s hard feeling like I’m supporting a system that’s out to get people like me.”

Judy nods her head. “I get what you mean.” She twiddles her paws, a bit embarrassed talking about her own naivety. “The whole reason I wanted to be a cop is so that I can protect the innocent from people who want to harm them. But it feels like the police are here to do the opposite… I feel like I’ve become the bully, y’know?” She remembers her own childhood bully, Gideon Gray. She remembers how he is now, how her notoriously speciesist parents are working with him. She imagines him in a muzzle, with cops pinning him down for absolutely no reason. “I want to quit and fight to protect the predators, but it took me so long to get here. When I’m gone, who’s going to represent small mammals in the police force? I get so many messages, so many people who have told me that my story has given them hope to pursue their dreams…” She watches as a child runs down the sidewalk with their parent frantically running after them. “What will happen if I just quit my dream?” 

She’s quiet for a moment. Mind reeling with thoughts, weighing pros and cons for what feels like the 100th time, not getting any closer to a solution. Nick watches her, waiting for her to say what’s on her mind. 

“I did quit, y’know, for a bit.” She continues. The information shocks Nick. He never would have imagined Judy quitting. “After the press conference. I felt so ashamed of myself.” Her eyes almost tear up, but she breaths to hold them back. “But, I came back because the city needs good cops, and Chief Bogo told me I was a good cop, and I didn’t know that there’s no way to be a good cop in a system that’s so corrupt,” she rambles. “And I didn’t realize that the reason the force was so quick to accept me, even though they rejected me so quickly before, was because they needed a better image. A diverse, accepting image.” She looks at the badge on her chest and glares at it. “They even offered to make me the face of the police force!” Her voice rises, biting with harshness. “They had posters and advertisements planned and everything!”

The car is silent for a moment. The air is heavy, and both of them are consumed with the doubts, anger, and sadness that they’ve been trying to ignore for awhile now. Nick begins people watching again, though his mind is more focused on thinking of his response. He may have given up on reforming the police force, but he believes Judy has more in her then the entirety of the ZPD police officers have all together. Which may not say much necessarily, but it gets the point across.

“I don’t think being a cop is your dream,” Nick finally decides, breaking the silence and surprising Judy, who turns her attention to him. “ I think helping people is your dream. I think that you can either help the people who need help, or you can choose to represent the people who want to hurt them. And I think that by standing up for them, you can do more for small prey representation than you ever can as a police officer…” He smiles at Judy, a tiny bit smirk-like, because he knows Judy will appreciate the message. “But that’s just my opinion. Take it with a grain of salt, I’m not exactly the most wis--”

“You’re right Nick! I should quit the force!” She says, her large little ears perking up, a fist slamming against her open paw. Nick’s eyes startle wide open, he wasn’t expecting such a switch in attitude. But Judy has been thinking something similar while debating pros and cons. Having someone say it out loud, having someone who supports that mindset in general instead of a police chief and corrupt mayor convincing her to stay for representation, makes it obvious what the morally right decision is. She can no longer perpetuate a corrupt system.

“Woah woah,” he waves his paws as if to slow her down. “I just meant that as food for thought, I didn’t mean you’d have to actually quit now!”

“No, you’re right,” she states with a hard voice. “I’ve been thinking about it for awhile now, in all honesty ever since Chief Bogo tried to make me a poster girl for the force. Looking back on my training and everything…” She thinks about the challenges of being so small, making _everything_ in the academy seem like an obstacle, even the toilets. She thinks about the scenarios they were trained with. She remembers learning how to use tranquilizers, muzzles, and different kinds of repelling sprays. “And it’s not like we’ve been working for the ZPD for years. I’ve been here for what? A few months, and you’ve only been here a couple weeks. What loyalty do we really have to this job? Obviously I’ll think about it more before I officially quit, but…” She smiles to herself, finally comfortable with the decision she wants to make. The weight of the fog she created for herself lifts, and now she feels bright and sunny despite the weather actually being overcast right now. “I think this has been a long time coming. Being a police officer isn’t what I thought it would be.”

Nick laughs at Judy’s determination. He’ll never get tired of how she can pump up the whole room with her energy alone. He ruffles her head.“Well, I guess there’s no point staying in the force if Carrots isn’t there to pester.” Judy laughs back then jumps out of her seat to squish him in a tight bunny hug.

* * *

Nick and Judy sit in the police car in their usual patrol spot. There is no music playing, no noise being made between them. Nick is slouching in his chair, glaring at nothing in particular. It’s not a common site to see him like this, but Judy supposes that it’s been harder for him to hold back as of late. It’s been a couple weeks, and yesterday both Nick and Judy put in their two week notice. The protests have increased in numbers, people protesting for long periods of time in large numbers. Police have been acting worse and worse, videos have been spreading like wildfire across the internet. Chief Bogo has done all he can to keep Judy and Nick away from the protests, and it couldn’t be anymore obvious as to why. If they weren’t already quitting, then they would have gone out of there anyways just to see for themselves what’s happening. Sitting in their car listening to the calls on the radio, watching the street as no one walks by, it’s all been making Nick and Judy antsy. Neither wants to sit like a pair of useless pawns while people are out there fighting for justice, for reform, for change. Nick’s annoyance is palpable.

“Hey Nick, are you doing okay?” Judy asks in a gentle voice, softly touching Nick on the shoulder.

“Huh?” He blinks with sudden awareness, he doesn’t remember zooming out, but it’s been happening a lot as of late. He shrugs his shoulders, keeping his arms locked together. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

Judy raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms like a stern mother would. “No you’re not.”

Nick almost bristles. Why does she have to act like some queen know-it-all all the time! “If you're so sure of the answer, why bother asking?” His face scrunches back up, and his voice goes low.

“Hey hey, it’s okay,” she reassures with a gentle tone and drooped ears. She knows Nick doesn’t mean to come off so harsh, he’s just been tightly wound lately. “I just wanted to check up on you.”

Nick's ears droop and his scrunched up wrinkles melt until his face still rests only in a small glare. It’s clear he feels bad for getting angry, but he’s too prideful at the moment to admit that he’s wrong. “Well I think it’s obvious that I’m not ‘okay.’” He says with a thin layer of attitude like a kid getting in trouble for something he totally did. “How am I supposed to be ‘okay?!’ They shot a fox in the eye yesterday!” His glare drops entirely and is replaced by a desolate frown as he remembers the face of the fox. “They’ve been brutalizing and arresting predators and protesters! None of this is okay!” He wants to tear up a bit, but he holds himself back. “It feels like no matter what happens, no matter how many times we think there’s been change, it’s never going to go away.” His voice cracks a bit and the world fades around him as he continues venting. “They’ll change the name, disguise it as something else, give a million excuses, force another issue into our community to sedate us and keep us distracted and nothing will ever change.” He looks up at the empty road. He’s back in reality, but his demeanor hasn’t changed. “Predators will always be violent beasts that must be controlled, and we’ll never be free.”

The car is silent, and Nick’s frustration is still lingering in the air. Judy has nothing to say. For some reason this frustrates Nick more.

“No magic speech, huh?” He asks with a bit of bite, almost mocking. Sometimes her sense of duty to fix everyone else’s problems just end up coming off as ignorant. Judy isn’t hurt though, she knows Nick isn’t meaning to hurt. He’s just in pain.

“Well it’s not like I can give you a solution,” she begins. “And I’m not going to lie to comfort you. I can’t guarantee that anything will improve or change. I can’t say I understand because I could never understand the difficulties of being a predator in the world right now.” Nick blinks, not expecting her to be so blunt, and, well, realistic. Judy continues despite his shock. “All I can say is that I won’t stop fighting with you and supporting you until all predators can live their lives without fear.” She looks him in the eye, and places a paw on his shoulder. Nick feels his heart warm up as he starts to process the actual meaning behind her words. “I’m going to do my best to fix this, even if I never end up fixing it by myself.”

Nick blinks back the remaining shock, smiles one of his soft genuine smiles, and places his paw on top of hers. His voice is soft and his eyes dewey when he says, “Thanks Carrots. I appreciate it.” It’s hard to find true, honest support as a fox.

The sweetness of the moment is suddenly made a bit sour when they realize the position they’re in. Their smiles turn wiggly into nervous frowns, they blush, and their pupils shrink, and they move their hands quickly away. Neither can look each other in the eyes, both have butterflies throwing rioting in their stomachs. The tone of the car drops back to heavy and depressing. Afterall, both know there’s more to this issue than a single show of solidarity.

“Did you maybe want to talk some more about it?” Judy asks in a high and strained voice with an awkward cough. Nick doesn’t notice her odd behavior, too focused on his own embarrassed thoughts. He tries to ignore the fluttering of his heart and focuses on the seriousness of the conversation. He takes a deep breath.

“Yeah… yeah I think I’m ready to talk. It’s been a long time coming.” He shakes his paws and head a bit as if shaking off the last bit of awkwardness. He leans back in his chair, and focuses on the stains on the ceiling of the car. The pain slowly fades again, filling him like a water bucket. “It just hurts knowing I could be next, you know?” His ears droop and he stares out the window. In all honesty, he doesn’t really want to talk about this, but he knows he probably needs it. “Some of the people getting arrested are people who have done nothing wrong. And then you look at me,” he looks at Judy and gestures to himself. “A predator who has actually done crime, and here I am, working with the ZPD!” He sighs and looks back up at the ceiling, in the back of his mind wondering what made those mysterious stains. “I am working with the exact people who suppress predators and hurt us. I feel like I came in, perpetuated stereotypes that society pushed on me, and then the moment I became brave enough to stand up against it, I started working with the enemy.”

Nick stops himself abruptly, staring back out the window with a pained glare and crossed arms. It’s a bit much for all at once. Judy rubs his arm to comfort him, encouraging him to continue. He breaths out again, lowers his arms, and sits back.

“It’s hard because on one paw,” he lifts a paw, “Zootopia treats me like a villain and it feels like everyone is forcing me into this mold of this sneaky criminal, alienating me and making me feel like I don’t belong in this society.” He lifts the other paw. “On the other paw, there’s a lot of people fighting for the rights of predators, and almost everyone would say that predators have their place in Zootopia. Predators always stick together. There’s a certain pride to being a predator. It’s a weird feeling.” He lowers both hands, and closes his eyes. “I’m a criminal and a victim. I’m supposed to be ashamed, but I’m also supposed to be proud.” He looks at his own paws, his sharp claws sticking out at the top. “Most of all though, I feel like I’ve failed at representing predators. I was put in this position where I was visible for once in my life, I could have restarted and chosen any lifestyle I wanted, and I could have represented predator kind. I feel like I wasted that opportunity.” His voice ends soft, like a shy child telling a parent what they’ve done wrong. 

Judy thinks for a moment. She never heard a predator explain the pain they’ve gone through like that. It makes her feel even worse for being afraid of foxes. She takes a second, thinking about everything Nick said, thinking about what she can say to comfort him and restore his sense of self, at the very least temporarily.

“You haven’t wasted it yet.” Nick blinks in surprise at her sudden statement. He should be use to it by now, but she still manages to surprise him. “We’ve only got two weeks on the force. Once we quit, who knows? We could still have some sort of platform, and we can do a whole lot more for predator kind once we don’t have uniforms holding us down,” Nick appreciates her reassurance, and is about to thank her, but suddenly something she said hits him.

“Wait. Two weeks on the police force?”

“Yeah, because we gave a two week notice? I mean, I imagine we can leave sooner if you wa--”

“No no no,” he waves his hands. “We’ve got two week on the police force! We can film the conversations, report what needs to be reported, convince others to quit!” His voice gets louder and louder and his ears perk up with restored passion. “We’re in the perfect position to truly take some action!” He ends with a rough tone close to that of a growl coupled with his classic sly smirk. Judy smirks back, plans already forming in her head.

This is going to be a very interesting couple of weeks.

* * *

“They’re going to attack an interspecies bar.” Nick is so blunt, it takes Judy off guard. It’s break now, and they’re speaking in hushed voices near the back. Not an uncommon site for them. Coworkers joke that they’re attached at the hip, and Chief Bogo rarely gives them seperate case assignments, so it might as well be true. Nobody bats an eye at them, nobody pays attention to their whispered words. No one seems any wiser, except Judy who wasn’t expecting such blunt talk while still on break.

“Wait, like during a protest?” She asks, with a slight tilt of the head. (If the circumstances were different, Nick would have taken the time to acknowledge how adorable it was).

“Yeah, I heard Chief Bogo talking about it with Officer Trunks and Officer McHorn,” he explains. Part of their plan to do as much damage to the police force as possible is to listen in on as many conversations as possible to get as much information as possible. Hopefully to find the most racist cops in the force so they can report them. Or maybe record conversations of cops bragging about their attacks. Nick being the sly fox he is has always been good at lurking off to the side to listen to whatever information he can come across. Judy is small enough to hide in places no one would think to look. The idea was that eventually they could gather enough information to actually make and impact. However, they weren’t expecting something so blatantly immoral from the Chief of all people. “I recorded the conversation. They’re going tomorrow night.”

“What are they attacking for?!” She asks, alarmed at the prospect of doing something so blatantly intraphobic. It almost seems unreal that they’d do something so bigotted, but then again this entire month has been surreal. The police force has done so much that Judy could never imagine. People she’s talked to, people she considered her friends and colleagues, have committed heinously immoral acts all for the sake of remaining dominant. She’s had to rethink how much trust she can put into people. It’s been heartbreaking.

“They’ve been taking in injured protesters. They’ve been giving them first aid.” No matter the reasoning, there’s no good excuse as to why they would attack the bar. The bias has been so clear, the corruption has been shoved in people’s faces, but nobody does anything, and people still treat the situation like the violence isn’t happening, or like it’s a political opinion, or like it’s the protesters’ fault.

“What can we do to help?” Judy asks, ears falling, voice shushed and paranoid, and eyes darting about to see if any of their coworkers are paying attention. Luckily, the break room is large, and the few of officers in the room haven’t so much as looked at either of them.

“I plan to post the recording online and I want to give it to any news outlet that will take it.” He explains, already doubting any news company will care. They never seem to unless it makes the protestors look bad. “I doubt it’ll do much to change anything, but I have to do what I can. Can you warn the owners of the Belle and Beastly Bar on your way home? I think it’s your way.”

“Of course,” she states confidently, smiling and rubbing the fox’s arm. She’s been doing touchy stuff like that a lot lately, and it’s been making his chest warm each time.“Don’t worry Nick, we’ll keep all those protesters and interspecies couples safe.”

Nick’s shoulder’s slouch with relief. (He didn’t even realize they were tense in the first place). It feels like a giant weight was lifted from his shoulders. He smiles back at Judy, but notices something off about her. Is she a bit stiff? Is she a bit too slouched inward? Does her smile not reach her eyes? He thinks maybe it’s a bit of all of them, but he can’t say for sure. Whatever it is, it’s off.

“What’s wrong?”

“I…” She gives a little soft sad smile with big droopy ears. “I was going to come out as asexual to my family this month… and probably panromantic it were to go well.” She leans back against the wall, crossing her arms. She feels bad talking about herself like this right now, but it’s been something she’s been preparing for awhile now. She’s been doubting the idea of coming out, especially during a time where her and her parents have been so politically divided she’s sure it’s permanently damaged her relationship with them in some ways. But it sucks for the ultimate deciding factor to be something so horrible. “Guess that’s out the window now, now that the police force seems to be targeting everyone we thought they were targeting. I’m already gonna be a target as an ex-cop, imagine if I had come out now.” She chuckles dryly, and Nick nods in understanding. He’s not that far along in his own journey of discovering his sexuality, but he can understand why it would be a disappointing blow. And he for sure understands the fear of becoming more of a target for the police force. But, something about her statement confuses him.

“What’s panromantic?” He knows the interspecies community has a lot of terms, and he’s heard of asexual. He almost considered himself asexual when he did some research after his first chat with Judy on the subject. He’s pretty sure he’s heard pansexual before too. Doesn’t actually know what it means, but he’s heard of it. He’s never heard of panromantic before though.

“Well… pansexual means sexually attracted to all species…” She moves her hands along similar to what he imagines invisible juggling to look like. “So panromantic means romantically attracted to all species…”

“You’re romantically attracted to all species?” He didn’t know sexual attraction and romantic attraction were even different things. Suddenly, a lot of things make sense. That’s why he can form a crush on someone, but not feel an ounce horny towards people. He can still be asexual, but can be romantically attracted to whoever he pleases! He’ll have to do more research on this romantic attraction stuff, but this definitely seems like the right path to figuring himself out. 

“Yeah...” Judy trails, realizing Nick kinda zoomed out, what with his paw on his chin. “That’s not a problem, is it?” 

Nick’s eyes go a bit wide, and he waves his hands. “No! Of course not! I have lots of panromantic friends!” His ears droop straight a bit and his smirk’s a bit strained. “Well, actually, no I don’t. But I’m totally cool about it!” He crosses his heart like a promise ending in a cheesy salute, one paw on heart one paw in the air. Judy laughs in response and punches his arm. His stomach flutters at her laughter.

“Silly fox,” she barely says through chuckles.

Nick can’t help the small smile that spread on his face. But, it shrinks a tiny bit when he realizes that this might be the opportunity he needs to find out more about his own sexuality. He waits for Judy’s laughter to die down before he asks his question.

“Hey Carrots, how’d you know you were panromantic?”

“Hmm?” The question takes her a bit off guard, but she quickly gets where he’s going with this. “Well I did some research on it, found some explanations as to what being panromantic was like, and just kind of continued on from there. There’s panromantic, biromantic, homoromantic, heteromantic...”

Nick stores the information in his head, giving nothing but a hum back as a response. He’s going to have a very interesting night.

“Why?” She tilts her head and her nose twitches a bit as if she’s sniffing out a clue. Nick rubs the back of his neck and avoids eye contact.

“I’ve been questioning my own attraction... I’ve looked up stuff before, and I think I’m asexual? Especially now that I know what romantic attraction is.” It’s not often Nick openly shows confusion, Judy listens eagerly. “Though I’m not sure. And I don’t know what my romantic attraction is at all… I didn’t even know romantic attraction was separate from sexual attraction.” He shrugs a bit.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to know everything right now,” Judy says in a soft, comforting, but also high and uplifting tone. She understands this stage far too well. “You’ll figure it out.”

“I know for sure I’m attracted to other species,” Nick continues, trying his hardest to avoid looking at Judy and to stop his heart from racing and his cheeks from blushing. To his credit, he manages this well. Must be the years of carefully used and controlled expressions. “I wouldn’t say I’m attracted to all species though. It feels weird trying to fit myself into these labels.”

“If you want, you don’t have to label yourself anything.”

Nick smiles at that. Judy’s support always manages to quell his doubt. Now he’s excited to find out more about himself. And he’s excited to come out to Judy when he has it figured out, knowing she’ll be happy for him and always accepting of him.

* * *

It’s been a couple days after the raid attempt on the Belle and Beastly Bar. The bar was warned, and the owners held first aid in a different location for the night after informing their patrons the day before of the plans. It’s only one bar, but both Nick and Judy have felt better about the situation since. In the meantime, they have warned the public about cases police have pointedly decided to ignore. They decided to spread awareness to these cases to force the ZPD to hold prey supremacists responsible. There have been muzzles and leashes stuck on fences, a few predators left dead tied up to a gate, some predators shot with crossbows to represent predator hunting... It’s been horrific, and the police force has ignored it to the point that many people, including Nick and Judy, believe that some of the people responsible are hiding within the ZPD. They’ve been leaking the information on how police are _supposed_ to use specific weaponry versus how it’s actually being used, pointing out the brutal practices the ZPD have been using against protesters. They’ve reported many officers, though they know it won’t amount to much. They’ve even been protesting instead of going to their normal post, not that Chief Bogo would know since he never calls them for any cases anymore. They’ve also been videotaping conversations and posting them anonymously on any site they could. Other rebellious cops have joined them in different areas of zootopia, making tracking difficult, a technique Nick has said used to work when he was still involved in criminal activity. 

Everyone in the force suspects Judy and Nick of “betrayal,” and it’s led to quite a lot of… altercations. Despite being a small rabbit and fox, they’ve been able to hold their own, and have posted whatever recordings and videos of their altercations they could. At this rate, neither of them expect to be in the police force for much longer. Chief Bogo has not been pleased. Today’s group that they suspect he sent was proof of that. By tomorrow they’ll probably be forced out, and it’s only been four days.

Judy sits on the toilet in Nick’s incredibly small apartment. Nick is on his knees, patching up a gnarly gash in her leg. She’s honestly never really been in his apartment, and normally she would have taken the time to take everything in. She’s been curious about his living situation for quite awhile now. But right now she’s a bit too dizzy and adrenaline hyped to really pay attention to the small things. His apartment’s small, his pipes are leaking, and the walls have that creeping dirty look to them that makes it seem like a assortment of disgusting stains and mold is hiding beneath the wallpaper. But it’s still cozy and endearing in a weird way. Like how she felt about her own apartment when she first saw it. It’s cheap, but relaxing. Her heart is pounding hard as Nick dabs her knee. It stings a bit, and she hisses through her teeth. Nick looks up at her with his incredibly green eyes and Judy feels like she’s lost some sort of battle, or maybe failed a test she didn’t study for, or forgot to do her homework. She’s not prepared for how piercingly bright his eyes are, despite seeing them multiple times. 

This crush stuff is getting out of control.

“Are you alright?” His voice sounds the tiniest bit deep and breathy, so serious (and kind of intimate). He’s genuinely worried about her.

“Of course I am,” and it’s true, it looks worse but it feels like a scraped knee. “It doesn't hurt any worse than getting it in the first place.” She giggles, but Nick doesn’t seem to find it all that funny. His ears and eyebrows droop.

“This is getting really dangerous.” His voice is soft, and Judy hates hearing him sound so unlike himself. Sometimes she wishes everything could go back to normal, so he could be flirty and fun loving once again. But she knows that’s just a selfish wish.

“It’s fine, really.”

“Sure, it’s fine now, but what about next time?” His eyes pierce hers again, but she refuses to feel guilty. So she glares back instead. She doesn’t like being treated like she’s delicate.

“Nick, you know I’m willing to risk my life if it means making the world a better place. And I know you would do the same.”

“I know I know…” he looks off to the side, ears drooping even lower. He looks like a lost child, and it physically hurts Judy’s heart. “I’m just scared…” he gently runs his paw against her bandaged leg. “And I’m worried about you. I’m not ready for either of us to die like that. And it’s terrifying that it’s a very real possibility” His face scrunches up and he looks down at his feet, clearly trying to keep the tears at bay. But they’re still welling up, and Judy doesn’t think she’s ever seen him cry before. 

It’s bittersweet to know he cares so much about her. Judy smiles, her ears droop and she runs her paw along Nick’s jaw. He doesn’t suit looking so sad.

“I’m not ready either, but after all the damage I’ve contributed, I can’t just sit by.”

“I know…” He admires her strength and passion so much. He can’t fathom how he’s been lucky enough to have her influence in his life. He looks back up into her eyes. Her violet eyes are so warm and comforting. Such a unique and beautiful color. It sounds cliché, but he knows he could literally spend hours staring at them. “Just, promise me that anything we do, we do together. So we can always watch each other’s backs.” He holds out his hand for her.

“Okay. I promise.” She grabs his hand back.

“And Judy, there’s something else I need to tell you,” he starts again. Judy immediately blushes. Nick very rarely calls her by her first name, always preferring cute nicknames. She doesn’t mind the nicknames, but hearing him say her name seems so intimate. Nick’s paw is starting to sweat in her’s. His ears are still drooped, but his face is less scrunched and his posture’s straighter. His face is bright red though. “I wanted to tell you later, maybe when things got back to normal. But it doesn’t look like that’s happening anytime soon, and I’m scared that something might happen, and I would have never told you. But uhhh….” He scratches the back of his head. “Now I realize this sounds a bit cheesy…” Judy laughs at his little ramble, ears perking up because she already knows what he’s going to say. Her cheeks are blushing, but she feels confident enough to smirk.

“Nick?” Her voice lifts, and she brings his face closer to hers. He blushes even more, and is forced to look into her beautiful violet eyes again. He feels like he’s going to melt right then and there.

“Yes?”

“I like you.”

Clear and to the point, it’s the exact confession that leaves Nick surprised for a hot minute, sitting like a blushing flustered mess. Judy always manages to shock him.

“Like as in like-like?” He finally cracks out.

“Yep~!” SHe replies in a sing-songy tone, flicking his nose.

Nicks blinks in shock, but then he can’t himself. He hugs her tightly, burying his face in her stomach, laughing happily with adrenaline. Judy laughs too, part because she’s ticklish, but mostly because she’s never been this happy in her life. She feels content, knowing she’s making the right decision.

She’s changed a lot these past couple of weeks, and she knows Nick has too, and she couldn’t be prouder of the both of them.

* * *

Judy looks at her social feed, pdf in her text box, her heart racing. Nick is sitting right behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist and head resting on her shoulder so he can see. He nuzzles her neck, noticing her hesitation. Judy let’s out a giggle. She knows that as long as she has Nick by her side, she can take down an entire army of police officers.

She takes a deep breath, and presses “post.”

**I write this letter to let you the public, and any of those who have learned of my struggle making a name for myself in my career. I wrote this letter to announce that I have officially quit my job as a police officer at the ZPD. This is due to a long history of speciesism in law enforcement, and current practices that go against everything I stand for.**

**When I was a kid, I admit that I was speciesist towards predators, foxes especially. My parents helped instill a fear in me, not failing to remind me that foxes are the natural predator of rabbits, but I continued to perpetuate that fear in myself when I decided to remain ignorant to the daily lives of foxes and predators in general. When I moved into the city, my parents tried giving me a million gimmicky tools to protect myself against foxes, including noise deterrents, repelling sprays, and tasers... I thought they were being ridiculous, but I still took a canister of fox repellent. And when I joined the police force, a part of me was still prejudiced against predators.**

**The police force was built to protect prey from predators. In all these years, this mindset is still present in the police force and the structure of the police force depends on it. We are taught to take extra precaution when arresting predators. We are encouraged to expect the worse from them. They’re put in muzzles, they are more likely to be victims of police brutality, they are treated even worse in prison. They place their largest and frightening officers on cases dealing with predators. They are quick to find reasons to fire or hide their predator officers if they so much as call out another officer for their actions. They tell you to look for the people who are out of place, and a lot of the time that means looking out for predators in prey majority areas.**

**During the nighthowlers incident, when the city was so divided and so many who were so openly speciesist, a speciesism that I cannot deny my role in, I quickly saw the police force start discriminating in the workplace. I see them arresting predators for the most petty crimes. During protests, I watch as peaceful predators get attacked by the police force. I see people get brutalized for the world to see. I see them die because of police violence. I’ve heard the conversations they would have away from the public’s eye. I saw them purposefully misuse their authority and training in order to cause those who went against them to submit. I saw them single out anyone different from them, and pretended it was to protect the city. I’ve seen them purposefully ignore cases involving acts of terrorism towards predator kind by prey supremasist groups. The speciesism in our society, especially within the organization that is supposed to protect the innocent, is so blatantly clear now… It would be irresponsible and morally wrong of me, as a person who many look to as a role model, as someone who believes in justice and standing up for those who are shunned by this society, as a person with the platform and voice that I have, and as someone with many predators whom I hold dear to my heart, including a romantic partner, to remain working in the police force and to stay compliant during this time.**

**“So that is why I, Judy Hopps, am quitting the police force, along with my partner Nick Wilde, and we plan to continue to fight for police defunding and reform for as long as needed. Thank you to those who have supported me in the past, and all those who continue to support Nick and I as we move forward.”**

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a [Carrd](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/) that lists petitions, numbers to text, places you can donate to, voter registration information, and other additional resources. If you feel there's any additional links I could add, please let me know and I will include it in a heartbeat. Please be sure to support however you can!
> 
> If you want to donate, but can't, here's a [playlist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKGkXoF60Ik&list=PLcDplauF7vDlElCMqroco3-AYD45FdryH) of BLM videos on Youtube to watch. Turn off ads because any ad revenue made in those videos goes straight to BLM organziations. 
> 
> I also suggest for any allies that you educate yourself on black history that schools often skip over such as [Juneteenth](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIi_53jihMM) and the [Tulsa Massacre](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-ItsPBTFO0).
> 
> I also suggest checking out Netflix's Black Lives Matter collection, especially 13th, and to watch HBO's Watchmen (HBO Max has allowed it to be streamed for free). Also listening to black lead bands and artists is a good idea. My personal favorites are Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains (with their new lead singer), and Janelle Monáe (my favorite song of hers is Pynk). 
> 
> You should also support [black owned businesses](https://blackownedbusinesses.carrd.co/)!
> 
> Please be sure to stay safe and wear a mask in public! And be sure to educate yourself on the current events happening around you! Thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed ^-^ Black lives matter!
> 
> I don't accept the spread of wrong information. I can accept stupid hate, and I will respond because I find it funny. I'll even leave up the most disgusting trolls because I want y'all to see who you are siding with. But if I see you spreading wrong information I will not hesitate to delete your comment. Go educate yourself and fuck off before spreading harmful information.
> 
> Anyways, I've gotten tired of responding to trolls so I enabled comment moderation. It's a fic, if this upsets you then you need to take a moment to evaluate yourself cause that sort of behavior is ridiculous coming from adults. I'll continue deleting whatever posts I want. It's MY fic, MY account, I don't have to put up with bs from people who don't bother doing basic research and blindly support bigotry. Go make your own fic if you're annoyed.


End file.
